White House releases state-by-state effect of spending cuts; Republicans push back WITH VIDEO

The Oakland Press/TIM THOMPSON
Toni Weddle, cook at the Waterford Senior Center, left, and volunteer Barb Barrett making up lunches at the senior center. The centers Meals on Wheels may be in jeopardy if the federal sequester cuts go into effect.

President Obama and much of Congress want to avoid many of the cuts, called sequestration, but they're apart on how to reach an agreement to avoid the mandatory cuts.

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The president wants tax increases as well as spending cuts in any deal. Republicans want more spending cuts.

In Michigan, the cuts are across the board, touching law enforcement, vaccines, meals on wheels, teachers and schools, and head start programs, the White House said.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, in Washington for a national meeting of state governors, said the sequester -- steep and unpleasant cuts passed in 2011 as a temporary measure that were never expected to take effect -- is a "failure."

"This whole issue of getting to the sequester is a failure," Snyder said in an interview with C-SPAN.

"I mean that was the point of putting it in place to begin with," Snyder said. "It wasn't supposed to happen. That just illustrates the mess in Washington compared to the states."

Snyder said "the mess here in Washington" is the biggest economic challenge confronting the country.

"I think that's holding back a lot of investment," he said. "A lot of business people are looking to say if they don't know what the situation is going to be, they're staying on the sidelines.

"We need a budget, we need tax reform, and we need to deal with the deficit here at the federal level. We've done it at the state level, so let's get it done here."

Obama, over the weekend, put up his own video calling the stalemate the Republican sequester.

"Unfortunately, many Republicans in Congress refuse to ask the wealthy to pay a little more by closing tax loopholes so that we can protect investments that are helping grow our economy," Obama said.

The president said Republicans are forcing "our children, seniors, troops, military families and the entire middle class to bear the burden of deficit reduction."

Republicans fired back with their own video, mocking Democrats with an Oscars-type release.

In Michigan, the White House estimates that failure to reach a compromise by the end of the week means:

o A loss of $22 million for primary and secondary education, putting about 300 teacher aide jobs at risk, and another $20.3 million for teachers and staff who help children with disabilities.

o1,300 fewer students will get work-study jobs, and 2,490 fewer students will receive aid to finance an education.

o Head Start and Early Head Start programs eliminated for 2,300 children.

o The loss of $5.9 million in funding for clean air and water programs, and another $1.5 million in grants for fish and wildlife protection.